Search Results (103)

Amid intensifying global ESG regulations and the expanding influence of green finance, China’s digital economy policies have emerged as key institutional instruments for promoting corporate sustainability. Leveraging the implementation of the National Big Data Comprehensive Pilot Zone as a quasi-natural experiment, this study utilizes panel data of Chinese listed firms from 2009 to 2023 and applies multi-period Difference-in-Differences (DID) and Spatial DID models to rigorously identify the policy’s effects on corporate ESG performance. Empirical results indicate that the impact of digital economy policy is not exerted through a direct linear pathway but operates via three institutional mechanisms, enhanced information transparency, eased financing constraints, and expanded fiscal support, collectively constructing a logic of “institutional embedding–governance restructuring.” Moreover, disruptive technological innovation significantly amplifies the effects of the transparency and fiscal mechanisms, but exhibits no statistically significant moderating effect on the financing constraint pathway, suggesting a misalignment between innovation heterogeneity and financial responsiveness. Further heterogeneity analysis confirms that the policy effect is concentrated among firms characterized by robust governance structures, high levels of property rights marketization, and greater digital maturity. This study contributes to the literature by developing an integrated moderated mediation framework rooted in institutional theory, agency theory, and dynamic capabilities theory. The findings advance the theoretical understanding of ESG policy transmission by unpacking the micro-foundations of institutional response under digital policy regimes, while offering actionable insights into the strategic alignment of digital transformation and sustainability-oriented governance. Full article

Offsite construction (OSC) offers a promising alternative for accelerating refurbishment projects across Italy and Europe. However, its adoption remains limited due to technical, regulatory, and cultural barriers. This study, conducted as part of the OFFICIO project, maps the current European OSC landscape, with a focus on wood and light-steel technologies for sustainable building refurbishment. Combining a literature review, analysis of funded projects, and market data for 541 OSC products, the study develops tailored KPIs to assess these products’ technical maturity, prefabrication level, and environmental integration. The results reveal that wood-based OSC, although less widespread, is more mature and centered on the use of multi-layer panels, while steel-based systems, though more prevalent, remain largely tied to semi-offsite construction, indicating untapped development potential. Research efforts, especially concentrated in Mediterranean regions, focus on technological integration of renewable energy systems. A significant literature gap was identified in information concerning panel-to-wall connection, critical for renovation, limiting OSC’s adaptability to regeneration of existing buildings. The findings highlight the need for cross-sector collaboration, legislative clarity, and better alignment of public procurement standards with OSC characteristics. Addressing these issues is essential to bridge the gap between research prototypes and industrial adoption and accelerate the sustainable transformation of Europe’s construction sector to help meet climate neutrality targets. Full article

The scientific measurement of corporate resilience is a prerequisite for identifying risk vulnerabilities, formulating targeted support policies, and enhancing the stability of the economic system. This paper utilizes data from 2054 listed companies on China’s A-share market from 2007 to 2023 to construct a corporate resilience evaluation system integrating three dimensions: risk resistance, adaptive adjustment, and recovery growth. Using a multi-level dynamic factor analysis, it depicts the multi-dimensional structure of resilience while introducing time series dynamic changes. This study found that corporate resilience has shown a steady upward trend overall, with phased fluctuations before and after major crisis events, which is highly consistent with macro- and microeconomic indicators. And fluctuations are primarily concentrated among low-resilience enterprises. The further analysis of low-resilience enterprises revealed the following: At the industrial level, compared with the primary industry, the secondary and tertiary industries have a higher proportion of low-resilience enterprises. At the regional level, the proportion of low-resilience enterprises in eastern and central regions decreased during shocks, while western regions showed a significant divergence, and northeastern regions consistently underperformed. This study offers empirical evidence and management insights for strengthening corporate resilience and enhancing the resilience of China’s economy. It also offers valuable insights for other countries in addressing external uncertainties and building economic resilience. Full article

With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and smart manufacturing technologies, the penetration of industrial robots into Chinese markets has profoundly reshaped the structure of the labor market. However, existing studies have largely concentrated on the employment substitution effect and the diffusion path of these technologies, while systematic analyses of how industrial robots affect labor resource allocation efficiency across different regional and industrial contexts in China remain scarce. In particular, research on the mechanisms and heterogeneity of these effects is still underdeveloped, calling for deeper investigation into their transmission channels and policy implications. Drawing on panel data from 280 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2023, this paper employs a Bartik-style instrumental variable approach to measure the level of industrial robot penetration and constructs a two-way fixed effects model to assess its impact on urban labor misallocation. Furthermore, the analysis introduces two mediating variables, industrial upgrading and urban innovation capacity, and applies a mediation effect model combined with Bootstrap methods to empirically test the underlying transmission mechanisms. The results reveal that a higher level of industrial robot adoption is significantly associated with a lower degree of labor misallocation, indicating a notable improvement in labor resource allocation efficiency. Heterogeneity analysis shows that this effect is more pronounced in cities outside the Yangtze River Economic Belt, in those experiencing severe population aging, and in areas with a relatively weak manufacturing base. Mechanism tests further indicate that industrial robots indirectly promote labor allocation efficiency by facilitating industrial upgrades and enhancing innovation capacity. However, in the short term, improvements in innovation capacity may temporarily intensify labor mismatch due to structural frictions. Overall, industrial robots not only exert a direct positive impact on the efficiency of urban labor allocation but also indirectly contribute to resource optimization through structural transformation and innovation system development. These findings underscore the need to account for regional disparities and demographic structures when advancing intelligent manufacturing strategies. Policymakers should coordinate the development of vocational training systems and innovation ecosystems to strengthen the dynamic alignment between technological adoption and labor market restructuring, thereby fostering more inclusive and high-quality economic growth. Full article

Rural tourism plays a crucial role in promoting industrial revitalization in mountainous regions. Drawing inspiration from the site selection mechanisms of nature reserves, this study constructs a gap analysis framework tailored to rural tourism destinations, aiming to provide technical support for their spatial layout and systematic planning. By integrating a potential evaluation system based on tourism resources, market demand, and synergistic factors, the study identifies rural tourism priority zones and proposes a development typology and spatial optimization strategy across five provinces in Southwest China. The findings reveal: (1) First- and second-priority zones are primarily located in the core and periphery of provincial capitals and prefecture-level cities, while third-priority zones are concentrated in resource-rich areas of Yunnan and Guizhou and market-oriented areas of Sichuan, Chongqing, and Guangxi. (2) The Chengdu Plain emerges as the core region for rural tourism development, with hotspots clustered around Chengdu, northern and western Guizhou, central Chongqing, eastern Guangxi, and northwestern Yunnan, whereas cold spots are mainly situated in the western Sichuan Plateau and the Leshan–Liangshan–Zhaotong–Panzhihua–Chuxiong–Pu’er belt. (3) The alignment between tourism resources and rural tourism destinations is highest in Yunnan and Guizhou, while Chongqing exhibits the strongest match between destinations and tourism market potential and synergistic development conditions. Overall, 79.35% of rural tourism destinations in the region are situated within identified priority zones, with Chongqing, Guizhou, and Sichuan exhibiting the highest proportions. Based on the spatial mismatch between potential and existing destinations, the study delineates four development types—maintenance and enhancement, supplementation and upgrading, expansion, and reserve development—and offers regionally tailored planning recommendations. The proposed framework provides a replicable approach for spatial planning of rural tourism destinations in complex mountainous settings. Full article

With the rapid advancement of information technology and the increasing maturity of online shopping platforms, cross-border shopping has experienced rapid growth. Online consumer reviews, as an essential part of the online shopping process, have become a vital way for merchants to obtain user feedback and gain insights into market demands. The research employs Python tools (Jupyter Notebook 7.0.8) to analyze the 14,078 pieces of review text data from the top four best-selling products in a certain product category on a certain cross-border e-commerce platform. By applying social network analysis, constructing LDA (Latent Dirichlet Allocation) topic models, and establishing LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory) sentiment classification models, the topics and sentiment distribution of the review set are obtained, and the evolution trends of topics and sentiments are analyzed according to different periods. The research finds that in the overall review set, consumers’ focus is concentrated on five aspects: functional features, quality and cost-effectiveness, usage effectiveness, post-purchase support, and design and assembly. In terms of changes in review sentiments, the negative proportion of the topics of functional features and usage effects is still relatively high. Given the above, this study integrates the 4P and 4C theories to propose strategies for enhancing the marketing capabilities of cross-border e-commerce in the context of digital cross-border operations, providing theoretical and practical marketing insights for cross-border e-commerce enterprises. Full article

The creative breakthroughs in policy implementation by China hold essential practical importance for promoting global sustainability. The carbon emission trading (CET) pilot policy initiated in 2011 provides a quasi-natural experimental setting to investigate the dual impacts of market-incentivized environmental regulation on corporate carbon emissions (CEs) and capacity utilization (CU) enhancement. This study employs panel data from A-share listed manufacturing companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges spanning 2007–2022, constructing a corporate carbon reduction efficiency (CRE). A Generalized difference-in-differences (DID) approach is adopted to examine the policy effects. The study reveals that the execution of the CET pilot policy has shown a notable and enduring enhancement in corporate CRE, yielding the combined advantage of advancing corporate decarbonization and improving CU. These conclusions remain resilient despite thorough sensitivity analysis. Furthermore, the pilot improves CRE via three principal avenues: augmenting corporate innovation capabilities, increasing green investment intensity, and refining managerial practices. The impacts of CET pilots are most significant in state-owned firms (SOEs), capital-intensive industries (CIEs), eastern region enterprises (EEs), and sectors with little market concentration. The findings set essential empirical standards for assessing decarbonization initiatives and guiding social progress towards sustainability. Full article

Chlorine dioxide (ClO₂) is a powerful sterilizing agent that is widely used to prevent the spoilage of fresh foods during delivery and storage. However, its practical applications are hindered by a short sterilization duration, complex deployment processes, and high treatment costs. To address these challenges, an innovative ClO₂ self-releasing sachet was developed, which was specifically designed for use in retail and wholesale markets. The sachet utilizes polyether block amide (PEBAX^®) as a hydrophilic polymer to facilitate the dissociation of sodium chlorite (NaClO₂) and citric acid (CA), which generates ClO₂. A PEBAX/CA composite film was coated onto kraft paper to construct the sachet. This design extended the ClO₂ release period to over 3 d, with a controllable release rate being achieved by adjusting the concentrations of NaClO₂ and CA. In practical tests, the sachets inhibited fungal growth by >50% over 14 d at 20 °C within a corrugated box. Furthermore, they preserved the quality of the cherry tomatoes for 16 d during storage. These results demonstrate that the newly developed sachet offers an economical and user-friendly solution for fresh-food packaging, effectively preserving product quality. Full article

With the rapid development of the electric vehicle (EV) industry, the importance of battery management systems (BMS) in ensuring the safety, reliability, and efficiency of batteries has significantly increased. This study explores the technological development trends and market layout of EV BMS through patent analysis, focusing on patent quantity, geographic distribution, and technical classification. By integrating the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and entropy weight method, a patent value evaluation model was constructed to identify key patents and assess their quality across four dimensions: technical, market, economic, and legal. The results reveal that BMS patents are primarily concentrated in China, the United States, and South Korea, with major contributors including LG Energy Solution, BYD, and Hyundai. While BMS patent applications grew rapidly from 2015 to 2020, the pace has slowed since 2021, indicating a possible shift in market focus. The analysis identified 14 high-quality patents, mainly focused on battery safety and compactness, while fewer patents addressed battery lifespan extension and anti-interference capabilities. The study suggests that although significant progress has been made in BMS technology, there is still substantial room for innovation, particularly in areas such as battery lifespan management, charging efficiency, and intelligent energy scheduling. This research provides valuable insights for future technological innovation and market decision-making in the EV BMS sector. Full article

In recent years, supply chain risks and stability have become a focal point of public attention. However, there is no consensus on how exogenous shocks affect the sustainability of supply chain relationships, nor a clear mechanism of influence. This study uses data from all A-share listed companies in China from Q2 2018 to Q4 2021, constructing a “supplier–quarter–customer” relationship dataset, with the COVID-19 pandemic serving as an exogenous shock. The results show that after experiencing exogenous shocks, the sustainability of supply chain relationships actually strengthens. This suggests that companies may take measures to enhance supply chain stability and maintain existing relationships to ensure sustainability. Channel analysis reveal that trade credit serves as a channel for the impact of exogenous shocks on the sustainability of supply chain relationships, with companies adjusting trade credit supply to downstream customers to maintain and strengthen stability. Additionally, the impact of exogenous shocks on the sustainability of supply chain relationships varies with market concentration, product input heterogeneity, and firms’ ownership type. Therefore, companies should enhance supply chain relationship management, utilize trade credit as a risk buffer, and optimize the supply chain structure to reduce risk transmission and maintain sustainability. Full article

Under the guidance of high-quality development goals, the energy industry should not only pay attention to the development level but also to the coordination effect among multiple elements. In the process of low-carbon development, natural gas plays an important transitional role as a clean fossil energy. In this study, by introducing the theoretical perspective of energy trilemma, a comprehensive measurement system of the three-dimensional development level of the regional natural gas industry was constructed. Then, in order to overcome the limitation that the coordination effect is weakened due to the concentration of function values, an improved coupling coordination model was established based on the redefined coupling degree distribution function. Next, based on actual data from Beijing from 2006 to 2022, the safety–economy–environmental protection development level of the natural gas industry was empirically analyzed, and the coupling coordination degree of multi-dimensional factors was deeply investigated. The empirical results reveal the following: (1) Beijing is one of the largest natural gas consumption markets in China, so the economy level of its natural gas industry was relatively high. However, the safety level and environmental protection level needed to be improved. This is mainly due to the scarce resource endowment, and the dependence of economic growth on fossil energy. (2) The coupling coordination degree showed a fluctuating upward trend. The coordination degree of safety and environmental protection was the best, mainly because they coexisted and promoted each other at the policy level. The coordination degree of safety and economy was also relatively high, mainly because supply security could provide resource support for market expansion and stabilize price levels. Meanwhile, a prosperous market would stimulate energy exploration and infrastructure extension. This study will help to provide a high-quality development plan for the natural gas industry for solving the regional energy trilemma. Full article

Pepper is one of the most widely consumed foods around the world. China is the leading producer, while Mexico is the primary exporter. To support these roles, the responsible use of agrochemicals is essential. Additionally, investigating the factors influencing pesticide dissipation is critical to ensure that residue levels do not exceed established Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) and to achieve the required pre-harvest interval (PHI). This is essential to prevent trade-related issues and mitigate potential health risks to consumers. Consequently, this study aims to evaluate the dissipation dynamics of acetamiprid, azoxystrobin, and β-cyfluthrin residues in jalapeño peppers cultivated under both greenhouse and open-field conditions. Three applications of a manufacturer’s suggested dosage were evaluated, with 7-day intervals between each. The residual content was quantified after 1 h and 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days following each application. A QuEChERS method utilizing ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography equipped with a micro electron capture detector (GC-µECD) to determine the pesticide residues was optimized and validated, obtaining suitable performance, with satisfactory linearity, detection and quantification limits, recovery rates, and accuracy. The dissipation curves were constructed from the residues and dissipation percentages of the pesticides over time, elucidating the initial residuality, accumulation, half-life, residence time, and total persistence of the active ingredient. In addition, an analysis was carried out, relating climatic conditions to the cumulative dissipation of pesticides. The results show an increase in the initial residues, half-life, and residence time of pesticides in the greenhouse. Otherwise, in the open field, the residues of the pesticides acetamiprid and azoxystrobin increased over the initial applications. Climatic conditions, mainly evapotranspiration during crop growing, involve the dissipation of pesticides in jalapeño pepper. The validation method demonstrated satisfactory parameters, aligning with the guidelines provided by the US EPA and SENASICA. All concentrations quantified in real samples were found to be below the MRLs, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. Additionally, the dissipation kinetics played a critical role in elucidating key aspects such as residence times, latency periods, and marketing timelines for ensuring food safety. This kinetics provided essential insights into the behavior and persistence of the residues, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of their dynamics in agricultural and commercial contexts. We believe these findings underscore the reliability and applicability of the method for monitoring pesticide residues in real-world scenarios. Full article

The paper intends to contribute to readers’ comprehension of the Greek telecommunications market, focusing on the strategic decisions associated with network tower-sharing analysis in Greece. The Greek telecommunications industry is described for the first time following the Structure–Conduct–Performance (SCP) paradigm of Industrial Organisation (IO), as a methodological tool of analysis. In that respect, an SCP model in its extended form is constructed, aiming to examine how structure, conduct, and performance interrelate to each other. More precisely, the SCP model explains how strategic decisions regarding tower infrastructure sharing between 2013–2022 were developed, as a result of a series of interactions and feedback effects, amongst market structure, operators’ conducts, and performances, resulting in strengthening competition and reshaping market structure with the entrance of a new player in the Greek mobile market, an independent TowerCo (Athens, Greece) in Greece. International tendencies and competition issues influencing domestic growth potentialities and alternative operators’ concentration will be addressed, too. The paper concludes with presenting a basically qualitative, explanatory interpretive analysis of the perspectives of network tower-sharing analysis in the Greek telecommunication industry, including policy recommendations for the near future and thoughts on future research, as well. Full article

Forestry enterprises play a pivotal role in economic development, ecological civilization construction, and sustainable development. This study employs GIS-based spatial analysis to examine the distribution patterns and interrelationships of forestry enterprises, investigating their key determinants and spatial heterogeneity. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers aiming to optimize industrial structures and enhance national ecological security. This research develops a comprehensive evaluation index system to assess the factors influencing forestry industry development in China. Nine factors are considered: human resources, economic development, industrial structure, technological support, trade development, financial environment, natural conditions, urbanization, and transportation. Using panel data from 367 cities in 2020, the Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) method quantifies the influence of these factors and their spatial variations. The results show the following. (1) Forestry enterprises in China exhibit persistent spatial clustering. The eastern regions have a notably higher concentration than the western regions, and new enterprises are increasingly concentrated in a few hotspot cities in the east. (2) The spatial center of forestry enterprises has steadily moved southeast. Initially, the distribution was balanced in the eastern regions, but it has become highly concentrated in the southeastern coastal areas. (3) Regarding spatial autocorrelation, regions within the northwest cold spot cluster have been disappearing entirely. The northeast and southwest hotspot clusters have shrunk significantly, while the southeast hotspot cluster has remained large. (4) Permanent population size and green land area are the most strongly positively correlated with forestry enterprise distribution. Patent authorizations, orchard area, and forest land area also show positive effects. In contrast, road density and total import/export volume are negatively correlated with the number of forestry enterprises. This aligns with the structure of China’s forestry industry, which relies more on natural resources and market demand than on economic development level or financial environment. (5) The factors influencing forestry enterprise distribution show significant spatial variation, driven by regional factors such as resources, economy, and population. These factors ultimately determine the spatiotemporal distribution of forestry enterprises. This study provides data-driven insights to optimize the distribution of forestry industries and formulate more effective ecological protection policies. Full article

The organic light-emitting diode (OLED) has been regarded as the most prominent product in the current market of organic electronics, which has attracted growing attention because of their applications in full-color displays and solid-state lighting. Organic materials that exhibit strong luminescence in the solid state constitute the core position of OLED. Extensive research efforts to probe the structure of organic luminescent materials have attracted considerable attention to the conjugated fusion ring architecture. This is because it can confer molecular rigidity and helps to inhibit intermolecular interactions and non-radiative transitions, thus enhancing the performance of luminescent materials. Here, we use an efficient and simple method to construct an eight-membered ring molecular framework based on carbazole. Moreover, we have introduced groups with different electron-withdrawing abilities to develop a series of luminescent molecules. The results show that the nonplanar structure based on the eight-membered ring suppresses fluorescence quenching caused by molecular aggregation. As the doping concentration increases, the electroluminescence spectrum remains basically unchanged, indicating that the eight-membered ring structure can effectively suppress the intermolecular interaction. Notably, DCBz-pm exhibits deep blue emission with a Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE) coordinate of (0.158, 0.046), which nearly meets the BT. 2020 standards. The DCBz-CN device reaches a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 4.36%. These results offer a new design strategy for improving the performance of OLEDs. Full article